Tag Archives: Seersucker

Haspel clothing has not been manufactured for some time, the brand is being re-launched next spring. For years it was a “go to” for lightweight menswear and other tailored garments, especially seersucker. A bit of history from a 2011 Neiman Marcus blog post about the brand.

Haspel, founded in New Orleans in 1909 and later credited with making seersucker popular in America, is newly compelling right now as young men take a new interest in sartorial tradition—and as temperatures are rising.

Unfortunately, the company’s fortunes changed within months of that Neiman Marcus blog post. More about Haspel’s storied lineage: suits worn by Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird? By Haspel.

After a year’s hiatus, the venerable men’s wear brand, which got its start in 1909, will be relaunched for spring. It is being produced in-house by descendants of founder Joseph Haspel, who have brought CFDA-winning designers Jeff Halmos and Sam Shipley of the brand Shipley & Halmos on board to design the collection.

My favorite part of the graphic? “Haspel days are here again.” Although “tailored in the USA” is also good to see, especially when a company has Haspel’s heritage.

A Haspel family member remains with the company for its next chapter; WWD’s story quotes the founder’s great-granddaughter, Laurie Haspel Aronson:

The new Haspel offering will be targeted to a younger customer, have a “modern classic” sensibility and be targeted to better department and specialty stores. “The emphasis will be on sportswear, clothing and accessories that have references to our past but with more modern fits,” she said. It will be priced just under designer collections and will include suits at $795 to $1,200; jackets for $695 to $995; shirts for $175 to $225; ties for $95, and chinos for $195 to $295.

Below, a madras coat by the company, circa 2011.

Haspel, via Neiman Marcus Blog

It is delightful to see the brand coming back to life. Our only wish for the future? Adding womenswear to the mix.

In the years before air conditioning made summertime Washington bearable, senators from the South had much to teach their colleagues from other regions about proper attire.

In the late 1990s, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott decided the time had come to revive a long-forgotten Senate sartorial tradition. He selected a “nice and warm” day in the second or third week of June to be designated Seersucker Thursday. His goal was to show that “the Senate isn’t just a bunch of dour folks wearing dark suits and—in the case of men—red or blue ties.” On the day before each year’s event, senators are alerted to the impending “wearing of the seersucker.”

Below, a group photo from Seersucker Thursday 2006.

US Senate Website

Back to the US Senate page:

In 2004, California Senator Dianne Feinstein decided to encourage participation by the growing cadre of the Senate’s women members. “I would watch the men preening in the Senate,” she said, “and I figured we should give them a little bit of a horse race.”

We say the tradition “used to be known” because last year the event (if it can be called that) was discontinued. More from last year’s column on the topic by Dana Milbank at the Post, titled The Seersucker Bond Unraveled:

This is a yarn about a cloth, and what this cloth’s unraveling means to the fabric of our political lives.

Seersucker Thursday would have been on June 21, but on the evening before, the Senate cloakroom’s staff notified members that the custom was being discontinued. Lott’s former colleagues thought it would be politically unwise to be seen doing something frivolous when there’s so much conflict over major issues.

There was even an online petition to bring back the tradition. Sadly, it didn’t garner many signatures.

The Washington Post blog The Reliable Source reported last week that at least one Senator wore seersucker this year on what would have been Seersucker Thursday (last week on the 20th); below you see Senator Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi.

What this nation needs is a government organization to step out in their summer best with pride. Don those boat shoes! Whip out that madras! For the stability of this nation, put on that Lilly dress! We can only serve our people if we look good!

LONG LIVE SEERSUCKER!

(Nothing like a little satire.) Much as I would love to see it revived, I think the custom may be gone.

Today’s post acknowledges the inevitable: that although we are only in the middle of summer, and weeks away from fall (months away for those of us without back to school concerns), new season collections are arriving in stores. In that spirit we take a look at this fall’s Fleece Collection at Brooks Brothers.

Brooks Brothers "Fleece"

Fleece is the line that launched this spring bringing the Boys and Girls collections together under a unified label. We share a number of looks from the fall line.

Brooks Brothers

We like almost everything in the collection. The pieces seem more age-appropriate, with hems that look a little longer, there is restraint in the use of embellishment and pattern. The impact is a collection that is more classic, more preppish if you will. Below, two of the casual ensembles.

Brooks Brothers Fleece

The more formal styles are also pretty. The grey Taffeta Print Dress has a *very* sophisticated look, although we’re not sure what color most accurately reflects the shades of grey in the fabric. The dress runs $125 in girls sizes 4 through 16.

It is everything a young lady’s winter dress should be, with three-quarter length sleeves, pleats and elegant piping, priced at $125. We show two more of the dress-up styles, not our favorites, but not bad either.

Along with the Girls Cashmere Cardigans. (TQM is rolling her eyes at the notion of cashmere for kids, “It’s just not practical.”)

Brooks Brothers 'Fleece'

The wool dresses for Girls look nice as well, although the sleeveless version on the far right doesn’t make a lot of sense, initially we thought it was a jumper, but online it is described as a dress. The dresses are priced between $80 and $90.

Brooks Brothers 'Fleece'

The fall shoes are also darling, all of these ballet flats feature sweet little bows and

All in all this is a stellar collection from Brooks, with lots of things to like.

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And in the spirit of “summer is still very much with us!” we have a look at a line relatively new to us, Jolie & Elizabeth.

Jolie and Elizabeth

The company is best known for its seersucker dresses, below we share a portion of its philosophy as explained online:

Jolie is French for, “pretty” and Elizabeth translates to “promise” so together, Jolie & Elizabeth means pretty promise and our promise to you is below.

All of our dresses are manufactured right here in the beautiful city of New Orleans, Louisiana… Jolie & Elizabeth prides itself in contributing to the rebuilding, revitalizing and redevelopment of the city of New Orleans, and the great state of Louisiana.

Here are three darling dresses.

Jolie & Elizabeth

The line also offers party dresses, here are two styles shown at New Orleans Fashion Week, we’ll make the dress on the left today’s Pretty in Pink.

Jolie and Elizabeth

We do like the way this line looks, and love the fact they manufacture in New Orleans.

Today we merely share some Friday Fun, it seems like time to revel in a bit of frivolity, and we begin with a quick review of yesterday’s Seersucker Thursday.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

The non-partisan celebration of the summery fabric on Capitol Hill is traditionally marked every June. Above we see Senators sporting their stripes, from left to right: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of KY and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY. Below we have the larger group of Senators and Representatives, temporarily looking like one big happy family (the Mansons).

Bill Clark/Roll Call via AP

We do enjoy this tradition, a bit of lighthearted fun amid the intense goings-on seems like a good idea. (And yes, we do love our seersucker here at the Prepatorium, in season.)

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Next, more Wimbledon news. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, last night was Elton John’s annual White Tie and Tiaras party, always a spot to see some serious party frocks. Below, Anne Hathaway in Prada alongside Chopard exec Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele (Chopard was an event sponsor), on the right we see Elizabeth Hurley in Roberto Cavelli.

Also on hand for the event, actor Matthew Morrison from Glee, and Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford, both wore Dolce & Gabbana.

Several Royals made appearances, including Princess Beatrice, very elegant in Elie Saab, her mother, Sarah Ferguson, in Escada and Princess Eugenie was in Vivienne Westwood.

Wire Image via The Daily Mail

Another Wimbledon-related note, some readers may recall that tennis ace Maria Sharapova has a deal with Tiffany, she wears a pair of their earrings at every Grand Slam event. (Ahem.)

Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

This year at the All England Club Ms. Sharapova is wearing earrings from Tiffany’s Legacy Collection in platinum, they are described by the company as “…drop earrings… feature exquisitely faceted round brilliant diamonds. …”. (Double ‘ahem,’ your correspondent isn’t terribly fond of diamonds before the cocktail hour with the exception of those in one’s engagement and/or wedding ring. Silly Princess.)

This is not an entirely new phenomenon. In fact, a June 2009 post in this very space was titled “Tiffany & Cartier for Sale at…Bluefly?!” In most instances, these were limited-time and/or “invitation only’ events; the ad seen below is for one such promotion offering Cartier watches. But from what we can gather, it seems this may become a standard practice moving forward.

Via Bluefly.com

Hermès has been offered previously at Bluefly, and just last week it was sold at Rue Lala. Your trusty scribe finds the practice disconcerting, especially following month after month after month of record-breaking sales and profits for Hermès, landing this one in the “Help Me Understand” category. Why do it? Are you introducing products to customers not previously exposed to the brand? If so, are they really customers you want to acquire?

Now, will you be able to purchase the custom scarf sold only at the remodeled flagship store on Bluefly (below)? Of course not.

“… if consumers notice that a brand is lowering its standards so that more people can buy it, it could take away from the brand’s prestige.”

How would you prefer your image be perceived? Oozing the understated elegance and refined vision showcased in the Madison Avenue store?

Hermès Courtesy Image

Or as a bargain hawker at Bluefly?

Bluefly.com

The argument that prices for these goods are so high it can’t possibly hurt the brand are wrong. From Rachel Lamb’s story:

““You can’t really go back to charging full price once you have a discount,” Ms. Ries said. “Sometimes, it’s as addictive for the company as much as for the consumer.”

Is this up there with discovering our Orrefors crystal or Movado watch at CostCo? Hardly. It far transcends that little hissy fit disturbance, for we rank Cartier and Hermès in the upper tier of the luxury scale. This seems like a bad idea all around.

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One more tidbit today, also about a storied company, Haspel, the go-to brand for seersucker.

Haspel via Neiman Marcus

The Neiman Marcus blog recently had a story on the firm, and it makes for a good read, we liked this story about the founder demonstrating the value and wearability of the fabric:

“…wore his Haspel suit into the Atlantic Ocean during a trade show conference. He then walked up onto the beach, took off his clothes (wearing his boxers, thank goodness), and hung up his suit to dry. Later that evening, he took that same suit, put it on again, and wore it to the evening’s party. Needless to say, he made his point.”

The other fascinating part of the post involved this:

Haspel via Neiman Marcus blog

We had nary a clue Haspel did madras. That is news we are happy to hear!

Because we have an all-afternoon volunteer commitment, today shall be more photos and fabulosity!

We begin by fulfilling a promise we made yesterday: more pictures from Saturday’s Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic. On the left, Emily Mortimer; Alek Wek is on the right in the cheery yellow Zac Posen dress.

It’s possible readers are more interested in pictures of these two gentlemen, but we think not. We’re quite sure you are operating on a higher plane, coming from a much more cerebral place…yes?

PHOTO: Steve Eichner/WWD

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We move on to a rather amazing SOTT (Sign Of The Times): news that discount online shop Bluefly will be selling Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Cartier jewels. (Gasp! Oh, the horror!) However, it is not as if Bluefly shall be carrying new jewelry pieces on the site, nor shall they be regularly offering such upscale goodies as a matter of course. This story in today’s WWD (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription req’d.) explains:

“Bluefly has so far eschewed the private-sale format, but on June 8 will hold its first invitation-only, limited-time sale.”

“Prices are about 20 percent less than new. For example, an estate Cartier Love Bracelet will cost $3,080 rather than $3,850 at regular retail.”

We must confess our appreciation of the Love Bracelet; the Queen Mother still wears hers, acquired way back…well, just way back when.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Cartier via WWD

As noted, these are estate pieces, not brand new items coming directly from the jewelry stores themselves.

The sale is a joint effort with upscale estate jewelry wholesale firm Circa. (Come now, we’ve all noticed their ads in the Times discreetly offering ‘assistance’ in generating a little pocket change by liquidating those silly trinkets collecting dust at the estate. Oh, pshaw, admit it, you know you’ve secretly pondered the possibilities created by letting another generation ummm… experience the beauty of Great-Grandmama’s pearls. And that monstrosity of a ring left from the wedding-that-wasn’t when that new-money-and-no-taste-man was chasing after Aunt Evangeline, you know the one with the 2.8 carat ruby absolutely laden with those garish diamonds?! Beyond Nouveau Gauche, it was an abomination – why not dispose of it? Good. At least we understand each other.)

* (CEO) There is a price consciousness dictating shoppers’ purchases today unlike anything I have seen before. We’ve spent years building our brands to compete on quality, aspiration, and a unique store experience, not on price.

* There are also fashion headwinds. We are currently in a cycle that lacks a dominant trend in the female business. Trends that appear to have some traction are not the long-term trend of classic, casual, preppy all-American sportswear that is core to our heritage.

* As an update to our specific plans for new store openings in 2009, domestically in addition to the Hollister flagship in SoHo, we now expect to open 10 stores in 2009. This figure includes 2 abercrombie kids’ stores, 4 Hollister stores, 2 Gilly Hicks stores, and 2 outlet stores.

At the risk of tempting fate, we fear it may be time to bring back the “stop the insanity” shrieking from last decade. And we aren’t talking about this:

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

We are saying resurrect the phrase only, not the person best known for yelling those words at us. At least that’s how it felt whenever that show was on the television: ‘Hi, I’m Susan Powter, with TV that’s YOUR FAULT!’ (Good heavens, no, The Princess did not have it on, but when employed in a television station one isn’t always in charge of what is on.)

But the lunacy continued throughout both the Milan and Paris Fashion Week shows. We are talking about footwear and we’ll commence the visual aids with a look from Gucci’s RTW Ready to Wear Spring 2009 show:

“As for the accessories, it was all about the shoes, and not in a good way. The mile-high platforms strapped on over what appeared to be Prada’s take on Peds might have been impressive, had half of the girls not had major trouble walking and thus looked absolutely petrified. At least one fell (the meandering stage set didn’t allow for full viewing), and one bailed on the finale. Folks, more sculptural, higher, chunkier, clunkier, strappier, bondage-ier — we get it. But maybe it’s time to cry uncle and downgrade to shoes that function as shoes, even on the runway.”

The photo below is from that same Prada show during Milan Fashion Week:

It seems that once again “preppy is making a comeback.” This is at least the third or fourth time we’ve seen this headline since we started our little blog back in February of this year and this is our 219th post, so if one does the math, the comebacks are happening more than we care to contemplate. And wouldn’t that necessitate the lifestyle going away in order for it to ‘come back’? Our most recent discourse on the topic was June 11th, titled “Everyone Discovers Preppy…“

“And nothing in American sportswear is as intrinsically optimistic as the preppy wardrobe built around madras, seersucker and oxford cloth, the de facto uniform of the scion-in-waiting circa 1980 who bides his time at a prep school until a Harvard early acceptance puts him on the path to Wall Street.”

“In this new world order, it’s a preppie renaissance with privileged panache, with Michael Bastian, Thom Browne and others.”

In referring to designer Thom Browne the articles notes we have the ‘neo-preppy’ moniker:

“Thom Browne, the official tortured soul of the neo-preppy brat pack also toyed with texture, filling his tennis tournament set piece with gauzy sweaters, a floor-length peignoir festooned with tennis rackets and jackets woven over-under from strips of grosgrain.”

If there is one line from Lacoste The Princess has absolutely adored since first viewing, it is the Summertime Prep collection, very light and fun while still incorporating some argyle! Better yet, some pieces in the collection are even marked down to a more favorable price point.

Also very high on our favorites list, the Madras Plaid Cotton Short happens to be on sale (originally $120, now $71.99), and it comes in two colorways, the pair shown below left and a darker navy plaid. And then a wonderful piece that tells a little secret about TP: we actually purchase these men’s sweaters for ourselves as they are lush, plush, and ever-so-snuggly against your skin! We’re fawning over the Supima V-Neck Cotton Sweater, available in a delightful array of colors including a soft and gentle pink; this color against your skin is faboo – flattering any face it frames. (This item is also on sale, originally $140 and now $84.99!)

Of course, we suggest you toddle on over to the Lacoste site and take a glance at the goodies yourself, as the selection on the men’s side is quite good, not to mention all of the women’s pieces, especially those on sale.

On a different note, there seems to be quite the dust-up brewing over the real dust created by the ponies in this weekend’s polo matches in Bridgehampton. Two homeowners with property adjacent to the Bridgehampton Polo Club complained at a recent hearing regarding the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge Cup, starting this weekend. They weren’t quite as neighborly as one might hope, complaining about the noise, traffic and dust levels created during the matches at a hearing July 8 before the Southampton Town Board. The Challenge Cup begins this Saturday (the 19th) and runs every Saturday through August 23rd.

During last year’s matches there were no noise or traffic complaints. Alex Rodan, president of the Club said “We will be good neighbors,” while speaking at the hearing, promising to dampen the ground in an effort to control the dust. A final vote on the issue is scheduled for this Friday.

If you would like to attend in a somewhat posh setting as these things go, why not bid on a pair of tickets to the VIP tent? The auction for the tickets benefits charity and you’re sure to be safe from most of the elements. Of course no one is 100% safe from the much-discussed dust kicked up by the ponies; to borrow a popular phrase and mangle it, “Dust Happens” at these events.